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More than 5000 entries on the history, culture and life of Britain (published in 1993 by Macmillan, now out of print)
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Scotland
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(land area 77,097sq.km/29,767sq.m, population 5 million in 1991)
The mainland of *Great Britain north of a line from the Solway Firth in the west to the mouth of the Tweed on the east, together with three major island groups, the *Hebrides, *Orkneys and *Shetlands. The mainland was to a large extent unified by the *Scots in the 9C; the islands remained for several more centuries under Scandinavian control. *Edinburgh emerged as the capital city in the mid-15C. Scotland became linked with England in two stages, by the *union of the crowns in 1603 and the Act of *Union in 1707. Since 1885 the country has been administered by the *Scottish Office. In recent decades there has been fluctuating pressure for *devolution, which was finally achieved with reestablishment of a Scottish parliament in Edinburgh in 1999.
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